Alex Ramirez has a season's worth of information at his disposal as he prepares to lead his Yokohama BayStars against the Yomiuri Giants in the first stage of the Central League Climax Series.
The one thing the manager won't have when he hands in his lineup each day is the identity of the next day's starting pitcher.
The Central League doesn't announce probable starters during the postseason (unlike the Pacific League), despite doing so during the regular season. Which means opposing teams and fans are left guessing until the lineups are released. So Ramirez and the BayStars were in the dark when they arrived at Tokyo Dome for Game 1 on Saturday amid reports on Thursday and Friday that a health issue might keep Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano out of Game 1.